It's Shakespearean Plays As They Were Meant To Be Seen

The Baltimore Shakespeare Factory (BSF) is set to kick-off their 2013 Season of Magic and Mayhem with one of ShakespeareÆs most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet. (Photo taken by BSF's Will Kirk)

Brendan Edward Kennedy (Romeo) and Kathryn Zoerb (Juliet) say they are very excited to be apart of the Romeo and Juliet production at BSF. (Photo taken by BSF's Will Kirk)

Chris Cotterman of the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory talked to WBAL's Ashley Michelle Williams about the production of Romeo and Juliet. The two also talked about how BSF productions are showcased as they were performed hundreds of years ago. Download This File

Like all of BSF's productions, "Romeo and Juliet" will be presented with the same staging conditions that Shakespeare himself used. (Photo taken by WBAL's Ashley Michelle Williams)

You may have seen or read Shakespeare's plays, but have you actually seen one of them performed as it was done during his time?

BSF is set to kick-off its 2013 "Season Of Magic And Mayhem" with the timeless story of "Romeo and Juliet," a story centered on two star-crossed lovers torn apart by passion and vengeance. Actors Brendan Edward Kennedy and Kathryn Zoerb will play the leading roles.

The FactoryÆs first production will be showcasing this Saturday, April 6th at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Hall Theatre at St. Mary's.The production will continue to be presented on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. as well as on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. throughout April.

Actors will perform the plays as they were performed more than 450 years ago.

Chris Cotterman, who plays the role of Friar Lawrence (a friend and father-figure for Romeo) told WBAL Radio that although the play is more 400 years old, he believes that it continues to touch the world because it powerfully highlights so many human emotions.

ôI think when itÆs presented well and itÆs presented in a way where people can understand it, it says something,ö Cotterman told WBAL Radio. ôIt continues to say something and it continues to speak to us across cultures, across history, and across time.ö

Director Tom Delise agreed: ôRomeo and Juliet is more than a simple story of two young lovers. Many types of love fill the story û in addition to the young lovers there is the love of family, friends, and city û but the hatred (with cause unknown) that exists between the two families, ultimately overwhelms everyone. In a time when over 50 conflicts are currently being fought in the world, it seems to be a lesson that we still have not learned.ö

Like all of BSF's productions, "Romeo and Juliet" will be presented with the same staging conditions that Shakespeare himself used to produce his plays on EnglandÆs Elizabethan stages of the 1590s. Productions use universal lighting, allowing the actors to see and interact with the audience, according to Cotterman.

ôWhat we really want from audiences to take away from this is to say, 'wow I never knew that happened in the play,Æô he said. ôElizabethan audiences were rowdy,ö she said. ôThey were not afraid to not talk a back to the actors. They were not afraid to throw things. We bring things out to the audience. It doesn't just help with recreating a theatrical production standard, but it also really helps with their understanding of it.ö

Just as ShakespeareÆs actors would have entertained audiences with the songs of the day, actors will also perform modern music (thematically related to the show) prior to the show and during intermission. Furthermore, BSF productions will feature women playing the parts of men, and men playing the parts of women, according to Cotterman.

ôWe perform as their written," Cotterman said. "We donÆt dumb them down for the audience. We donÆt change the language. But we also make it fast-paced, we make it exciting, we make it fun. And thatÆs really what our goal is for our audience.'ö